It was with a heavy heart that I said goodbye to one of the greatest adventures of my life in the greatest city on Earth, London. I know that sounds extremely dramatic and that I sound like every other kid who studied abroad, but honestly those words couldn’t be more accurate. Four months wasn’t enough time in this amazing city, and in Europe in general. Luckily I got to witness all the Holiday festivities, decorations, and of course packaging!

Christmas at Borough Market

The holiday season was fully embraced from the beginning of November. In the US we usually try and wait to put up the Christmas tree until after Thanksgiving, but obviously that holiday does not apply to the Brits. I was seeing lights, tinsel, and holiday products everywhere.

I couldn’t help but notice that much of the US packaging avoids the actual word ‘Christmas’ since our country observes other holidays as well. Of course there are many people who don’t celebrate Christmas in London and the UK, but the grocery stores still choose to market specifically for Christmas. Sainsbury’s had a section right in the front of every store selling their Christmas goodies. They sold little mince pies, chocolate logs, cookies, and lots of fruit cakes in preparation. Most of the packaging for the Christmas products had this ruby read background and shiny gold lettering. It really stood out against Sainsbury’s other products.

Of course all the other chain grocery stores featured bright Christmas packaging. Waitrose also used the red background packaging with a nice texture on top. This gingerbread Santa I got in the Waitrose Meal Deal caught my eye. Unfortunately it didn’t end up tasting that great and I was kind of disappointed. 

I was not disappointed however with the Christmas crackers I bought from Waitrose. They are these tubes of paper much like party poppers that when pulled apart give you a joke, a toy, and a paper hat. I wish we had them in the US! I will really miss my on-the-go lifestyle in London. I learned so much about living on my own and I really feel like I made the most of my trip. And although it may not seem like it, I did learn a lot academically as well!

Goodbye from your Intern-No-Longer-Abroad,

Alessandra